Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people we personally dislike. – Oscar Wilde

Wednesday, August 28^{th  _} This week’s act: Chemical warfare, more familiar to…

“You already feel the fist of the iron one on your back. This is the beginning of the way. If blood, fire, and the cry of distress fill this world, then you will recognize yourself in your acts: Drink your fill of the bloody atrocities of the war, feast upon the killing and destruction, then your eyes will…

Wondering if any members are as intrigued by the symbolism of the Matrix films? Struck me as very much in the mode of a hero myth, especially the archetypal features of the characters Neo, Trinity, Morpheus and The Oracle, as well as the challenges and transformations that take place throughout the narrative. Here's a post I did recently - glad to hear of further or different ideas and if there are any other Matrix fans (or Dune for that matter, another source of intrigue!). Thank you for…

ABOUT WORMHOLES—AND BREADCRUMBS

By Barbara Smith Stoff

I am writing this today, July 25, 2013, upon the anniversary of what was termed in the hospital  “ a massive stroke.”…

Trauma shatters mind. You turn against yourself. The world feels hostile, frightening. "The Core of 'Mind and Cosmos' ", a recent New York Times article by Thomas Nagel (2013.08.18) makes the case for mind, what depth psychologists call soul, as intimate to nature. William James wrote of God as intimate soul.  Intimate soul, intimate God, intimate Nature symbolize the reality of that which is immense and yet nearest and dearest. Nagel states that mind transcends empirical…

A recent list of the “Top 10 Famous Con Men” (http://listverse.com/2007/08/28/top-10-famous-con-men/), includes  the inventor of the “Ponzi Scheme.” But interestingly, this list includes neither politicians, nor corporate CEOs, nor preachers.

Studies indicate that many corporate CEOs have many of the personality characteristics of psychopaths. Alan Deutschman (“Is Your Boss a Psychopath?” Fast Company, July,…

Hot off the press, Trauma and the Soul, by my friend and colleague, Donald Kalsched, Ph.D., delves into trauma, the soul, and the demon Dis. I think I'm going to contemplate this area for a while on this blog. In particular, today, I am drawn to the body as container of repressed pain and trauma. Kalsched explores the myth of the god Dis, the penultimate demon of negation, the one who divides body from soul during trauma.



People who have been…

Have you seen this 3 minute clip of Prince William and Catherine presenting their newborn baby to the world?

To my mind, two extremely privileged people have had a child. All being well, little Prince George will one day be king. That's it; I'm quite neutral about it. So I must admit to feeling shocked by the reaction of the…

25 years ago I critically injured my spinal cord in a head-on collision on a rural highway in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I could tell that I’d broken something in my back, and I had no feeling or movement below the waist. I was subsequently airlifted to one of the best spinal trauma units in the country, where the doctors gave me less than 5% chance of walking again.…

A neuroscientist and I got caught in a conversation while in a NY elevator. He talked about his work with the brain and wanted to know what I did in treating survivors of religious abuse. We got into the story of The Unholy and how religious trauma effects not only the brain but the deepest recesses of soul. It didn't strike him as odd that I'd emphasize this; but, it did hit him hard, though, that he'd never…

The Addiction Complex - Depression Spirituality and Addiction: The Search for Meaning

I came across a statement by Sorajjakool, et. al. (2008) which inspired me to look at the interplay between depression, spirituality, and addiction:

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Robert Stinnett’s book Day of Deceit: The Truth About FDR and Pearl Harbor(http://www.amazon.com/Day-Of-Deceit-Truth-Harbor/dp/0743201299/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375304298&sr=8-1&keywords=Day+of+Deceit%3A+The+Truth+About+FDR+and+Pear+Harbor) is a stunning deconstruction of one of our…